Ex-SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya to join Salesforce as India CEO

US-based cloud computing major Salesforce has announced that former State Bank of India Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya will join the company on April 20 as its India CEO. One of India’s most well-known bankers, Bhattacharya will also serve as the chairperson of Salesforce India to lead the company’s growth and expansion across the markets.

Salesforce, headquartered in San Francisco, has been scaling rapidly in India.

A highly experienced business leader and finance authority, Bhattacharya was previously listed as the 25th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.

In her role as the chairperson and CEO of Salesforce India, Bhattacharya will report to Ulrik Nehammer, General Manager, APAC, and will oversee the growth strategy of the company and play an integral role in defining Salesforce’s relationship with the ecosystem of customers, partners and the community.

“Salesforce is a company with an impressive track record in supporting the digital transformation of its customers with world class technology, and there is an incredible opportunity for future growth in India,” said Bhattacharya.

“Salesforce has also shown that it is guided by a core set of values and a mission to do good in the world and I could not be more excited to join the Salesforce team to ensure that we capture this tremendous opportunity and contribute to India’s development and growth story in a meaningful way,” she added.

Salesforce enables companies to take advantage of powerful technologies such as “Cloud, mobile, artificial intelligence, voice and blockchain” to deliver personalised, connected experiences to their customers.

Leading Indian companies such as CEAT, redBus, and Franklin Templeton, use Salesforce to connect with their customers in a whole new way.

Salesforce has invested significantly in India over many years, adding more jobs, expanding its office space and partner ecosystem to support its growing customer base.

In 2016, the company opened a new centre of excellence in Hyderabad and expects to add 3,000 jobs across the region over the next three years, making India a leading global talent and innovation hub for the company.

“Arundhati is an incredible business leader and we are delighted to welcome her to Salesforce as chairperson and CEO India,” Gavin Patterson, President and CEO, Salesforce International, said in a statement.

“India is an important growth market for Salesforce and world-class innovation and talent hub and Arundhati’s leadership will guide our next phase of growth, customer success and investment in the region,” Patterson added.

Salesforce and its ecosystem of customers and partners in India is expected to create over $67 billion in business revenues and 548,400 new direct jobs by 2024, according to a research by IDC.

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